**Where to Ride

Bikemagic Trail Guide: Stainburn, Yorkshire

Destination: Stainburn, Yorkshire

With marked trails amounting to only 7km, you’d be forgiven for thinking that filling a day at Stainburn would be a struggle. Well, it’s certainly not for logging big miles or smooth flowing lines, it’s all about mastering some seriously technical trails. Ride them all, especially the black, without a dab and you can truly call yourself an all-round mountain bike deity.

How to get there

From Harrogate, take the A59 west towards Blubberhouses. After seven miles, turn left onto the B6451 signposted Otley. The car park is on your right after about three miles.

Sat Nav: Otley

Facilities

Free car park but, if you enjoy the trails or are riding there regularly, join SingletrAction and your £15 membership fee will be pumped back into trail building at this and other locations.

Trails

You come here to test your mettle against the black-graded 4km Warren Boulder Trail and recent work has brought it back to its best. It has been dubbed on more than one occasion ‘the toughest trail in Britain’. The Slab, Hovis Corner, Cascade, The Coal Chute and the Don’t Push Me climb are just a few of the obstacles that’ll have you sessioning in the allusive quest for a clean run.

Otherwise, the 2km Red Loop is an ideal way to prepare for the rocky horrors of the Warren Boulder Trail and the 1.5km Descent Line is a lower case downhill run with some fun, fast berms but also a generous helping of ever-present boulders.

All of the trails are impeccably built and surfaced for maximum challenge and enjoyment.

Nearest bike shop

Chevin Cycles, Otley www.chevincycles.com
Dirt Wheels, Otley www.dirtwheels.co.uk
Aire Valley Cycles, Keighley www.airevalleycycles.com

Other info

Over the road are the Norwood Edge natural trails. They’re not official trails although some markings, yellow paint squares, tape and stone cairns are present. Watch out for some poorly built jumps and technical features; look before you leap!